Insulating glass includes an assembly of two sheets of panels of glass separated by one or more spacers so that there is a layer of insulating air between the two panels of glass. To seal in the insulating layer of air, a sealant material must be applied to each edge of the glass panels in the space formed between the spacer and the edges of the glass panels. In order to form a good seal, the two glass panels must be accurately aligned relative to each other, and, in addition, the spacer along each edge of the glass assembly must be properly spaced and aligned relative to the two glass panels. As a still further condition for forming a good seal, the glass assembly and spacers must be maintained in proper alignment while the sealant material is being applied thereto. Finally, the sealant material must be applied in such a way that it is uniform and covers the entire edge of the glass assembly.
Although apparatus has been developed in the past for handling insulating glass assemblies and applying sealant material to the edges, such apparatus has not been totally satisfactory. In one prior art system, a stationary header applies the sealant material to the glass assembly as it moves along a work support. However, one of the problems of such an arrangement is that it is difficult to keep the glass assembly and spacers properly aligned, relative to each other as it moves relative to the stationary header. As a result, defects in the seal are likely to occur.
In another prior art arrangement, the sealant material is applied to a frame formed by the aluminum spacers, and then the spacer frame with the sealant material applied thereto is taken to another station where the glass panels are adhered to the spacer frame. The glass assembly is then transferred to a vertically arranged heating and compression station to heat and compress the assembly. As will be understood, such an arrangement is time consuming, expensive, requires many work stations and is not automatic. Accordingly, this system has also not been entirely satisfactory.
Broadly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved system for applying sealant material to an insulating glass assembly which overcomes one or more of the aforesaid problems. Specifically, it is within the contemplation of the present invention to provide an improved system which automatically aligns, clamps, and applies sealant material to a glass assembly in a precise and uniform manner.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved sealant applying system which automatically aligns the glass panels and spacers of the glass assembly, relative to each other and relative to a sealant applying nozzle, and which automatically clamps the aligned glass assembly to maintain it in proper alignment so that the sealant material can be applied thereto.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an improved sealant applying apparatus wherein the glass assembly is held in a stationary position while the sealant head automatically applies the sealant material to and edge of the glass assembly.